Teachers have urged parents to withdraw their children from schools as learning institutions have become risky territory in the absence of teachers.
The teachers pledged not to return to work until their wage demands are met.
But the development comes amid a deadly Covid-19 pandemic which calls for strict supervision of school children by teachers.
In a joint press statement by teachers unions, teachers said it is risky to keep learners at a school.
“To parents and learners we would like to advice them that it is risky to keep learners at a school environment where there are no teachers,” read part of the statement.
“We the undersigned teachers’ Unions wish to unequivocally state that the meeting that had been perceived to bring tangible results failed to bring such,”
“What the Honourable Minister Paul Mavhima did was to assure teachers that no one will be fired willy nilly from work as a result of incapacitation. We managed to present successfully our position paper. The Minister promised to take our demands to cabinet for further discussion,” it read.
The teachers highlighted that there was no progress from the meeting held with the minister.
However, Primary and Secondary Education Minister Cain Mathema said there are enough teachers currently reporting for duty who are taking writing classes through their exam preparations countrywide.
Ironically, only 29 percent of the teachers are reporting for duty.
“It is correct that a number of teachers are not at work. On average about 29 percent are going to work. Remember only examination classes are back at school and those teachers going to work suffice the job at hand,”
Mathema assured learners and parents that exams will go on as scheduled and learning will not be disrupted.
Meanwhile, teachers have vowed to continue on strike as the meeting with the employer failed to yield a desired outcome.
On 28 September 2020, exam classes returned to school after six months of enforced closure due to the Covid19 pandemic.
Jacob Ngarivhume, leader of People’s Democratic Party and also the convener of the 31st July Protests has added weight to the calls for government to consider the country’s deplorable education sector.
“To consider this as a school and a workplace for our teachers is a mockery to the teaching profession. Calling these buildings with no windows, window frames, doors and roofing a school forty years into independence is an admission of failure by government. Does government even know such schools like this exist? This is a forgotten place. They loot state coffers leaving nothing for reinvestment in social service provision,” observed Ngarivhume.
“Government has to attend to the glaring crisis in the education sector and be more realistic and humane in attending to these issues. This national crisis will leave scars that will take years to heal” said Ngarivhume.
